Media Minutes
This material appears courtesy of Nappaland

Media Minutes" began several years ago as an informative glimpse at today's media in the life of teens. Parents from all over the USA responded so enthusiastically, we soon created a second one, "Media Minutes for Kids". It has since been merged into "Media Minutes for Families"--a monthly media column that runs exclusively on Nappaland.com!

FAST FACT #1
64 billion "email commercials" are sent each year, accounting for about 12% of all email in the United States.

HOT PICK: Toy Story 2
(Disney/Pixar; rated G)
Sometimes it’s truly a pleasure to be a movie critic—and this is one of those times. In case you’ve been living in a cave for the past year or so, the latest Disney/Pixar DVD release, Toy Story 2, is arguably the best family-oriented movie to hit the market since…well, since the original Toy Story premiered in 1995.

Three things make this an outstanding movie: 1) great plot; 2) great acting; and 3) great fun. (Of course, there’s also that mind-bending 3D animation, but that’s another story.) Here’s the story: Behind the scenes of Andy’s room, all the toys are alive and live in a happy, adventure-filled little community. The leaders of the toys are the classic cowboy doll, Woody (voiced by Tom Hanks), and the space ranger action-figure, Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen). When an evil toy collector steals Woody, it’s up to Buzz and the gang to rush to the rescue—which they do in hilarious style.

Tom Hanks and Tim Allen give their requisite "A+" performances, but superb supporting turns by Joan Cusack (as Jessie), Jodi Benson (as Barbie), and Don Rickles (as Mr. Potato Head) are what give this movie its overall appeal. And all through the adventure, the humor (and inside jokes) of a toy’s world-view sparkle and shine. In short, we couldn’t recommend Toy Story 2 more highly—so hurry up and share this one with your kids!

(One caution for parents of preschoolers, though: There is a "nightmare" scene where Woody falls in a trash bin that could be upsetting for younger children. So, be sure to warn them of what’s coming and to let them know it’s only a dream!)

Media Minutes Rating: FFTWF (Fun For The Whole Family!)

IN THE NEWS
The recent political thriller movie, THE CONTENDER (DreamWorks), chronicles the good-versus-evil battle of slimy politicians in a quest for power. This movie debuted as one of the top five grossing theatrical release films in October, and featured democrats as the noble, principled good guys fighting against murderous, deceitful republicans. But according to actor Gary Oldman—who played the conservative republican baddie, Shelly Runyon—that’s not the way it was supposed to be. In an interview in the November 2000 issue of Premiere magazine, Oldman reported that DreamWorks studios (which is owned by the staunch democrats and Al Gore supporters, Steven Speilberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and David Geffen) pressured the movie’s director/scriptwriter (Rod Lurie) to cut roughly 15 minutes of the movie that portrayed Runyon in positive ways. They also insisted extras such as "ennobling music" be added to portray the democratic characters in a better light. After the changes were made, DreamWorks released the movie just weeks before the 2000 presidential and congressional national elections. Oldman calls the whole situation, "deeply disappointing," and remarks, "I am very hurt by it. So what do you think? Is it acceptable for a studio to insist that a director edit a movie in order to reshape that film’s content to promote the political preferences of the studio heads? Let us know your thoughts by sending email to: comments@nappaland.com


AND AFTER THE FLOOD,
THERE WAS…NOAH’S PARK!.
(Faith Kids)

So what happened to all those animals after they left Noah’s ark? Using childlike imagination to "guesstimate," Richard Hays and Chris Sharp have dreamed up one charming option: Noah’s Park! Drawing on the idea that many of Noah’s animals settled down together to form a happy little community, Noah’s Park is an entertaining new series your young children will enjoy.

Here are some of our favorite Noah’s Park products you and your children might want to check out:

Noah’s Park T-Shirts (from Living Epistles). Fun apparel for little ones, these tees feature a choice of the whole Noah’s Park gang of animals or your child’s favorite character on a solo tee of its own.

(Note: All these Noah’s Park products—and more—are available at your local Christian bookstore, though some may need to be special ordered.)

"Mike & Amy Nappa are bestselling authors and founders of the media company, Nappaland Communications Inc. You can reach them through their free webzine for families at www.Nappaland.com."

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